Note: I watched this in chronological order. I'm sure I missed any possible nuance by not going by the original Japanese broadcast order, or the DVD releases, or whatnot, so do keep that in mind. In my defense, this was also how I watched all of The Clone Wars (minus the movie, but whatever) and it was great. It is in fact, possible, my children...
Take a drink every time I say "Haruhi."
So: I watched all 28 episodes of Haruhi Suzumiya, an apparently hugely-remembered anime from the 2000s. And it waaaaaassssss........a novel experience to say the least. Ultimately, the harshest thing I can say about it is Haruhi herself, but we'll get to that later. For the most part: ehhh, I didn't love it, at least after watching the 2nd half or so, but I can still appreciate it.
To kick it off, I must say, I quickly became a huge fan of Kyon. Throughout it all, he's the single most consistently enjoyable and relatable character during all of the SOS Brigade's antics. The undisputed anchor; the show would be nothing without him, frankly. Sardonic characters also tend to be easy wins for me. There's also a very "nonchalant" attitude towards everything that happens. The stability of the entire world rests in the hands of a smug, pushy, high-and-mighty high school girl, who is and must stay completely oblivious to it. And no matter how much she makes your eye twitch: you simply can't do anything about it. It's for the greater good. You could say that's Kyon's struggle throughout it all, as he's now a key player of a mission involving an alien kuudere, a time-traveling doormat moe girl, and a borderline creepily chilled out ESPer to keep Haruhi happy and stimulated at all costs. Which makes the scene in the Sigh arc where Kyon's patience runs out hit all the more harder, at least for me. All of this submission, taking all of her crap, just to keep her happy no matter who gets hurt? It's a joke of a deal, and Kyon fully knows it.
SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT:
Going off the opening 6-parter arc, I thoroughly enjoyed it. As I touched on while logging this show, one thing I really appreciated was how every high-concept plot beat was delivered in a way that still keeps you invested and on the same page. I wasn't confused so much as I needed to pause or rewind to quickly get myself up to speed again. I quickly fell for Kyon, got the gist of Haruhi wanting to create a club that's apparently supposed to find and explore the supernatural (when really, as the show goes on, becomes blatantly obvious is just her excuse to have a friend group she can always fall back on), and these three colorful supporting characters who'll stick around to secretly make sure her unknown powers don't break the fabric of space and time. With Part 6 especially being a more than enough glimpse into Haruhi's feelings becoming destructive. And by extension, the show tackles escapism with Kyon having to convince her to snap back to reality, which he hastily does by kissing her.
Ep. 7-9 continue the setups surrounding Haruhi's powers, as well as properly introduce us to Mikuru's time travel nature, and while the Remote Island two-parter was gripping, it kinda fell apart by the end. The final resolution essentially boils down to "it was a prank all along, except it depended on Haruhi's emotions to rewrite the world into that," and it came by a bit too quickly for me to care by the end.
As for the infamous Endless Eight arc, you might be surprised to find out I did like it. Now: did it need to be 8 episodes long? Hell no. You could've gotten the point across perfectly fine in only 5 (6 if I'm feeling extra nice). Yes it feels monotonous and like a chore to grind through, and yes, you desperately hold out hope for something notably different to happen as the episodes wind down. But frankly, you kind of find some fun in seeing all the slight variations between the episodes, and in memorizing all the key lines and plot beats. It's an arc you can clearly tell was an unconventional, experimental move by the creators to see how far they can push this idea. If Yuki has to sit through this crap for she knows how much, you're gonna get a taste of it. And even by the end, you'll feel a little bad for her knowing she's lived the script thousands of times and has to simply play it out as her objective. And funnily enough, without a sense of irony, I'd say they succeeded in really (dare I say) making you feel like this goes on for millennia. In the most charitable and poetic takeaway I can give: "You sit through all of that. You start to memorize it, internalize it, live through it only to forget it all for God knows how many times. You never go anywhere and you don't realize it enough to change in time. And after everything: it finally ends. And....despite the liberating feeling of breaking the cycle, once the next day finally arrives, it still feels as mundane and ordinary as any other day. And all that's left is that question of what you'd do if you had to now live this new day over and over again. To which the show essentially replies with: 'be sure to not forget.'"
The Sigh arc were the final episodes to be aired, and after sitting through "Someday in the Rain," I can definitely see why it would have a longer-lasting punch as a finale where Kyon sits down and tries & fails to convince Haruhi about Yuki, Mikuru, and Itsuka. Compared to "Someday" which was a more toned-down episode that continues the monotony I can respect the series for tapping into, even if it gets inevitably boring. Though that little scene of Kyon finally taking a peaceful nap after those long walks hit close to home, as he finally finds some precious peace and quiet. Though after that digression, isn't boredom supposed to be one of its themes? Haruhi is notorious for her electric, up-and-attem energy, and her biggest enemy, canonically, is boredom. It doesn't matter what it is, so long as it keeps her deeply interested, she's sold. Of course, it's in the Sigh arc where Kyon's pent up frustration towards her is at an all time high after she has Mikuru's drink spiked, and can't help but lash out, though Itsuki intervenes. This scene remains a standout moment for me, and as mentioned before, a part of me now wishes this was the last arc I watched, as I feel it sets up whatever Disappearance is going to do, much better.
The final few episodes bring the series to its slightly dour, chronological end. Though not without Yuki shredding on an SG, and Haruhi fronting a band that you hate to admit gave a pretty damn good performance. And that episode ends with another introspective look at Haruhi: she rarely gets any real praise from others (presumably because of her reputation), and once she deservedly gets some, she doesn't know what to do with it. But as soon as Kyon manages to dig deeper into her, as if on cue, she reverts to her signature attitude again. Between this and her baseball story, it's definitely needed to ensure the audience sticks around and sees how her character ends up. Because frankly, she's probably the first anime character I can confidently say I felt like wanting to punch in the face half the time. Bossy, smug, rude, and an overall nuisance to be around, any other parts of the show I feel risk drowning due to me remembering her stupid face. Don't let her cuteness fool you for a second. Yet, on the flipside, I still can't say she's a complete lost cause as far as likability (or I guess, tolerability). What few moments we get humanizing her give her depth beyond the mean girl persona. And again, both her and Kyon drive the show, and they serve as great foils to each other. She's there to bring him up, he's there to keep her down when needed. And giving the show credit, I'll forever be grateful it's at least clearly aware that Haruhi isn't supposed to be a saint.
Overall, I didn't love The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. For as high-concept and well-defined as its characters are, I felt like it was missing something to make it feel like a more "emboldening" experience, which is why I'm placing my bets on Disappearance for that. I'm not one to say endings are necessarily paramount in a story, but what that DOES mean is I had to have found something worthwhile I can always turn to during those beginnings and middles for me to be forgiving towards an ending, no matter how good or bad it is. Because otherwise the ending has to actually be good and/or impactful for me to change my outlook on what came before, which does happen (not an anime, and forgive this odd example, but that's how I feel towards that Adam Sandler movie "Click." First two thirds are typical Sandler comedy schlock everyone pokes fun at, but the 3rd Act is considerably better executed, to where I can confidently say it saves, or at least salvages the whole movie).
It has really good setups, pretty novelly executed ideas, and you can tell the writers know what they're doing, but I guess Haruhi was simply too much of a brat for me to handle personally. And it doesn't feel like there's a ton of plot progression for me to be super excited for the next episode. I kinda wish it did more supernatural stuff, even if keeping it mostly down-to-earth is a creative choice I respect and can appreciate. Otherwise, I definitely jived with Yuki's cold nature (even if she's basically a far less interesting Rei Ayanami), and I like Itsuki's Kaworu Nagisa ass demeanor. Mikuru's precious, but like Haruhi, her characterization can be a bit too much to handle (she's a textbook doormat). And for one last time: all praise the almighty Kyon. Any sense of high praise circles back to him.
I'm glad I watched it, but I doubt I'll revisit it. Not a bad show by any means, but masterpiece material? I'm sorry.
In conclusion: Disappearance better be as masterful as y'all keep sayin' it is. I'm gonna hold you to that.
Future Mikuru better show up.
Suzumiya makes me miss Fujioka.
P.S.-I didn't watch the Mikuru Movie episode first. Though personally, I don't think it would've changed much. Certainly charming though (Yuki "yelling" curses was probably the funniest scene in the whole show).
[no song of the day today]__
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